Quercus palustris - Pin Oak

Quercus palustris, also known as the swamp oak, despite its name, does not thrive in heavy, limestone, clayey, and compact soils. Majestic like all its cousins, it has deciduous foliage, deeply lobed and cut, bright green in summer turning to deep scarlet red in autumn. Its relatively fast growth and imposing habit make it suitable for large gardens. It appreciates open locations, deep, acidic, and moist soils.

Native to the eastern and central United States, this large tree of the beech family can reach 20 to 25m (65ft 7in to 82ft) in height with a spread of 12m (39ft 5in). Quercus palustris has a conical habit: the lower branches are trailing while those that develop from mid-height are horizontal. The deciduous leaves, deeply cut into 5 to 7 lobes, somewhat resemble those of maples. They measure from 5 to 11cm (2 to 4.3in) in length. Shiny green in the heart of summer, they turn brownish before taking on magnificent autumnal hues, persisting on the branches until winter. This oak blooms early in spring, then produces very decorative acorns in two years, about 2cm (0.8in) in diameter, practically round. Its very straight trunk is covered with a smooth, greyish bark, and its branches give rise to numerous thin and more or less thorny small twigs that have earned it its name of Pin oak. This species has a taproot, but its rooting is not very deep. It will live 90 to 120 years in the garden.

Quercus palustris grows in any rich, well-drained, preferably neutral soil in an open position, where it will be visible from afar. It will be cultivated as an ornamental tree in parks and large gardens, where it will express its full potential as a shade tree or specimen. It shows more harmonious development when grown in sheltered conditions, without excessive competition. Why not associate it with the bald cypress (Taxus distichum) or the Nyssa sylvatica, which require more or less the same growing conditions. Two species of ferns such as Onoclea sensibilis, in neutral to acidic and moist soil, sun to partial shade, and Dryopteris palustris (Telypteris palustris), ideal in riverside or marsh scenes, in dappled shade or in the sun, can also be planted at its base.